David Beckham's New Hotel in Asia Is a Tribute to All Things English
David Beckham is a very busy man. The former soccer phenom turned model, designer, and entrepreneur has two headline-grabbing real estate projects in the works: a proposed $1-billion soccer stadium for his MLS team Inter Miami in Florida, and a new hotel in casino-heavy Macao. In a partnership with Las Vegas Sands (the owners of The Venetian on the strip and other over-the-top properties in Macao), the latter is set to open in phases beginning sometime in 2020.
Called The Londoner, the sprawling property—a rebrand of the existing Sands Cotai Central—will feature buildings designed to make visitors feel like they’ve landed in England's capital city. The exterior will be comprised of true-to-life versions of the Palace of Westminster, Houses of Parliament, and Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben, which was renamed for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee nearly eight years ago).
Inside, there will be 20 restaurants, including a British gastro-pub from Beckham buddy Gordon Ramsay, as well as a 6,000-seat arena and recreations of some of London’s most iconic thoroughfares, from Savile Row to Bond Street. In addition to the 200 shops that will open on site, the hotel will also be home to a two-floor emporium specializing in custom suits designed in collaboration with Beckham. The soccer star also had a hand in designing the upper-floor suites, which marks his first foray into interior design. London’s famous black cabs will also be posted out front.
“London is my hometown, so to be able to bring some of the things I love from there to Macao—that sense of energy, humor, and attitude in the furniture and artwork—is a great feeling,” Beckham recently told Travel + Leisure.
Though details remain under wraps, there’s one thing he’s sure of. “The one thing I can definitely promise is amazing service,” he says. “For me, when I stay in a hotel it’s those little invisible touches that make all the difference: things like remembering your coffee order, or what newspaper you like to read in the morning. Attention to detail is what makes a hotel stay special and memorable, so that’s super important to me with The Londoner.”
It sounds like he may just have a future in the hospitality industry.
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